1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to a sling for coupling a weapon to a person and, more specifically, to a tactical sling that couples a firearm to a person and is adjustable between a single-point configuration and a multiple-point configuration.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditionally, slings for coupling a weapon such as a firearm to a person have been configured as either a two-point sling or a single-point sling. Traditional two-point slings have commonly included a length of material extending between a pair of fasteners. A first fastener at one end of the material cooperates with a forward portion of the firearm, adjacent to a barrel of the firearm for example. A second fastener at the other end of the material, opposite the end with the first fastener, includes a second fastener that cooperates with a rearward portion of the firearm, such as the stock. With the two fasteners at opposite ends of the material cooperating with the firearm, the length of material could be draped over the person's shoulder, neck, or other body part to suspend the firearm from that person.
Traditional two-point slings allow the firearm suspended from the person to be quickly removed, and allow for a wide range of movement of the firearm on the person. Two-point slings also maintain the firearm at an elevation above the person's legs, allowing the person wearing the sling to walk or even run without kicking the firearm. However, two-point slings also typically suspend the firearm only in a substantially-horizontal orientation, which may be undesirable for certain tactical situations requiring the person to navigate narrow spaces with a long firearm.
As the name suggests, traditional single-point slings have commonly included only a single fastener that connects the firearm to the sling at a single location on the firearm at any given time. The length of material attached to the single fastener of a single-point sling typically forms a loop that extends around the upper torso (usually over one shoulder and under the other) of a person wearing the sling. Since the single-point sling is attached to the firearm at only a single location, the firearm is allowed to dangle in a substantially-vertical orientation from the person wearing the sling. This vertical orientation of the firearm allows the person to navigate narrow walkways and positions the firearm out of the way of the person wearing the sling. However, it may be cumbersome to walk with the firearm in the vertical orientation since the firearm will often extend down significantly along the person's legs.
Thus, there are times when a two-point sling is convenient and other times when a single-point sling is convenient. However, in tactical applications the person who is to wear the sling is often required to walk long distances, or repel from or climb up vertical obstacles carrying various tactical gear. Under such circumstances it is desirable for the person to travel light, making it impractical to carry both slings. But even if the person is carrying both the two-point and single-point slings, tactical operations often require the person wearing the sling to react quickly to a potential threat or a change in environment. Under such circumstances there will probably be an insufficient amount of time available for the person to change to the sling most appropriate for the given environment.
But regardless of whether a sling is a two-point or a single-point sling, conventional slings have traditionally included limited adjustment options for adjusting a length of the sling to fit people of various sizes. One such adjustment feature has typically included a strap doubled over onto itself through a slide lock adjuster. Adjusting the length of the sling using such an adjustment feature requires the person wearing the sling to remove it and manually feed a length of the material through the adjuster, followed by the second step of pulling the other portion of the material doubled over onto the newly-fed material through the adjuster. Such an adjustment is time consuming and tedious, requiring a high degree of dexterity in the person's hands. For tactical applications, a rapid adjustment may be required in less time than required for manual adjustment of a conventional slide lock adjuster through which the sling material extends and is doubled back on itself for another pass through the slide lock.